Looking for ways to advance my beer appreciation & knowledge

Taste is a subjective thing. Everyone's is different. I would suggest looking for "sampler" 12 pack. Sam Adams,Widmer and Blue Moon are a couple of good starters to look for, i'm sure that there are others. Look for a bar in your area that has a good selection of craft beers and talk to the bartender. If their knowledgeable they can be helpful, That's one of the beauty's of craft beer, so many styles, so many choices. Happy Hunting!

 

Travel.

 

You could read a book... Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher would be the one to grab.

 

A couple of thoughts:

• You'll be a lot happier if you don't let the weekly hype trains get to you and don't obsess about trying the latest, rarest, limited release. Most of them aren't worth the hassle or price, and if you're just getting into good beer there are literally thousands of regularly available "off the shelf beers" to try, many of which are 90% as good as the best beers in their style for a fraction of the price.
• Try everything (and every style) at least a few times. Your tastes will most likely change as you sample more stuff, and a style you hated at first may begin to appeal to you after you've experienced a couple hundred different beers.
• Take everything you read here with a grain of salt. The old adage of "Those who talk don't know, and those who know don't talk" applies just as much to these forums as it does to sex. Don't get me wrong, there are some incredibly knowledgeable people on BA, but there's also a lot of people who think they know a hell of a lot more than they really do.
• Last, but not least, have fun.

 

If you have netflix, look up and watch most any documentary about beer. Theres a few. "How beer saved the world" is fun and teaches a lot about the history and fun facts. I've also seen others that exlains the 3 tier distribution of beer and its involved problems, which is great insight into the beer industry. There's some good beer stuff to watch on netflix.

 

Drink a wide variety of beers across many styles. Every now and again, revisit the same beers and styles. If you're inclined, take notes and/or write reviews about the beers you try.

 

Read about home-brewing and start homebrewing or get the beer journal. I did both. Home brewing is definitely one of the best things I ever got into. I have learned so much but still know so little.

 

Not too long ago I watched all the Beer Hunter shows that Michael Jackson made. They were available free online (although they were in Dutch or something, with English subtitles -- oh well). These are somewhat dated now, but still have a host of great information about beer styles, cultures and history from the predominant beer regions of the world. Highly recommended

 

This book has helped me as far as which beers you should really taste before you die -



edit : Not my pic.

 

I'm thinking the Oxford Companion to Beer. A-Z, extended "dictionary" of All Things Beer. History, lore, fads, frenzies, and species of yeast, and all about gruit, and the use of hops, and off-flavors, and brewery profiles, and hop cultivars, and ale-wives, and chemistry, and well, you get the idea. Really short and longish essays of everything beer. Great for short reads. Learned a ton, and a ton there. Wonderfully edited.

 

What's helped me a lot is finding a good beer store with knowledgeable staff who actually like talking about beer--I'll just pick their brains for awhile. Been in the craft world for just about 3 years now, and that is still one of the most helpful things for me when I want to try something new--and talking about beer is a lot of fun too! ​

 

My big step off into really appreciating the beer I was drinking was when I started brewing. Just my two cents. Though.

 

I haven't read a single book on beer tasting...and Ive been interested in craft beers since before it was legal for me to drink. Ive approached appreciation by tasting tasting tasting and more tasting. Get to know your favorite styles so you can compare and contrast the distinct differences within the same category of beer. For me, I started with stouts at an early age....Dragon Stout (a Jamaican brew no longer available), Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout, and, of course, Guinness. I have grown to appreciate and expand on this style of beer because of the differences of the 3, the Dragon being a sweet stout, the Oatmeal being, well, an oatmeal stout, and Guinness being a dry Irish stout. The introduction of barrel aged stouts and Russian impys just made me appreciate stouts and their diversity even more.

 

Been slowly working my way through this one.

 

I'm more or less beginning my journey into craft beers as well. I found a great bottle shop by my house with a staff that knows beer and is friendly, my biggest help. Talking to some of the other BA's or going to a brewery and talking to the bartenders is also very helpful.

 

drink beer and make beer. In no particular order but may be done at the same time...

 

Go to a local brewery, or tap house, and do some flights. Try to find an establishment that has a cicerone certified staff, as they can help you on your quest(dont be afraid to tip nice or buy them a beer or two). You can use the local guide to try and find bars, bottle shops, etc.... http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/directory/9/US/AZ . Other things you can try are beer diners, tastings, or a tasting group in your area.

Cheers.

 

Drink your way through the "beers of fame". Don't look back.

 

Find a store that sells singles and try everything.